Flaming chalice basic lesson

Flaming Chalice Basic Lesson

written by Nita Penfold with additional wondering questions by Beverly Leute Bruce

This is our main liturgical lesson and should be presented first each year. There are two or three extensions that are then presented during the year.
Materials

• 
  Flaming Chalice, gold circle that fits in chalice, candle, matches or battery candle;
  
• 
  bright yellow felt circle at least 36” in diameter, folded;
  
• 
  set of multicultural and multi-abled people in basket;
  
• 
  7 equilateral triangles (3 1/4” a side) in red, orange, yellow, green, light blue, dark blue, and purple cut from colored cardstock
  

Presentation
Words for you to say are in italics; actions are in plain type.
This is the circle of our community.
Point around circle of children. Then take yellow underlay from tray and spread out on floor in front of you, smoothing it down.
This is the circle of our Unitarian Universalist community.
Pick up chalice and hold.
This is our Flaming Chalice.

It looks like a cup.
Run finger around circle of chalice. Put chalice in middle of underlay.
It’s a very big cup. I wonder what it could hold.
Pick up gold circle.
Some people feel that it holds the spirit of love and justice and truth or maybe the spirit of mystery which some people call God.
Put gold circle in chalice. Pick up candle.
We put a candle in our chalice because the flame is mysterious and beautiful and reminds us of the spirit.
Put candle in chalice.
It’s a very big cup. I wonder how many people could drink out of a cup this big.
Place basket of people in front of you.
These are the people of our community. This person could be in our community.
Hold up person and then place around chalice about 6 inches from chalice. Continue to add people as you talk. You may want to pass basket around to the children to place one or two people. Place people as close together as possible. Then look at all the people around the chalice. It’s okay if you don’t use them all.
It’s getting pretty crowded around our circle. You know, sometimes, it’s hard to be in community. One person might do something that another one doesn’t like. Sometimes there’s not enough room and you feel squashed.
Take basket with triangles and put in front of you.
So in our Unitarian Universalist community we make promises to each other about how we are going to treat each other, so that we all get along, and do what’s right. We call these our principles. These are our promises.
Take one triangle at a time, starting with red, then orange, then yellow, then green, then light blue, then dark blue, then purple, and place at base of chalice with one point into the chalice and two points to the people. Start to your right in the three o’clock position to you. You may name the colors as you put them down. With older children you may want to name each promise (see Promises lesson) but children will have a later lesson naming them. You may also want to touch the three points of the triangle before you put down.
Red: We promise to Respect All People
Orange: We promise to Offer Fair and Kind Treatment to All
Yellow: We promise to Yearn to accept and Learn about ourselves, others, and the Mystery
Green: We promise to Grow by Exploring what is true and right in life
Blue: We promise to Believe in our ideas and Act on them
Indigo: We promise to Insist on a Peaceful, Fair and Free world for all
Violet: We promise to Value our home, Earth, that we share with all living things
When you finish putting down the triangles, count them out loud all round the circle. When you say “connected” point to the two points of one side of the triangle pointing to the people on either side, then to the point that points to the chalice in the center.
There are seven promises we make to each other to help us be in community. They remind us that we are connected to each other and to the spirit of Love and Mystery which some people call God.
Let us enjoy the light.
Light candle.
Ask some of these Wondering Questions (as time and interest allow):
I wonder if you have seen this anywhere else in our church?

(point to triangles and chalice)

I wonder what part of it you like best?
I wonder what part is most important?
I wonder how big this community could really be?
I wonder who is in this community?
I wonder if the people in the community have names?
I wonder how it feels to be in this community?
I wonder where you are in this community?
I wonder if you have ever made a promise?
I wonder what happens when you break a promise?
I wonder if a promise is different than a wish?
I wonder if there is one promise that is more important than the others?
I wonder if there is one promise that we could remove and still live together peacefully?
I wonder what would happen if the promises weren’t here?
I wonder what would happen if someone new came to join this community?

(Move person around circle…trying to get in)

I wonder if you have ever come close to the Mystery?
I wonder if you have ever felt the Spirit of Love and Mystery?
Putting Away:
After wondering, extinguish the light.

Jerome Berryman extinguishes the light in this way:

Now watch how I change the light. The light of the Mystery which is here will now go everywhere.
Put candle snuffer on flame then lift up dramatically, watching the puff of smoke go up into the air and into the room.

Choices
Say something like:
In this classroom you are able to choose what you would like to do with your time here after the story and before class is over.
Today’s choices are:

• 
  Retelling the story to yourself
  

• 
  Make posters showing what it means to act on each Promise
  

• 
  Choose a cooperative game to play
  

• 
  Learn the Principles Song
  

Or other activities you have chosen as the teacher. It is up to you whether to give totally free choice to each child individually (this will work best when you have enough adults to assist any child who needs help with a chosen activity without too much waiting) or whether to help the class as a whole decide on one or two activities to do together. Whichever you decide, be sure to let the children know clearly what choices they have (and do not have).

Activity Directions
Retelling the story independently:
Coach children to take turns, and to treat the materials with respect so that they will be available for other children and teachers to use in the future. For older/reading children, provide a copy of the script (above). For younger/non-reading children, provide a photo of the finished storyboard.
Make posters showing what it means to act on each Promise:
If you have time, prepare one large piece of paper or poster-board for each Promise by writing or printing the Promise on it (preferably in the rainbow color associated with it.)
Allow children to use markers, crayons, colored pencils, magazine clippings, or other collage materials to depict how to act in ways which Respect All People, Offer Fair and Kind Treatment, etc. Post these pictures on the walls of your classroom.
Choose a cooperative game to play:
We have several books of cooperative games which you can look through (ahead of time or with the children) to choose a game or two which encourages cooperation and creative thinking/moving.
Learn the Principles Song:
While we sing the Principles Song each time we begin in the Circle Time room, some children may not know all of the words or feel confident singing it. See the lyrics (following) and help children work on memorizing the words (to the tune of Do Re Mi)

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